Sheet pile feeding device

ABSTRACT

Sheet piles are placed in succession on conveyor belt means and advance to vertically reciprocating fingers which release the piles one at a time. A horizontally reciprocating pusher assembly carriage has two sets of rockably mounted pushers in tandem which advance sheet piles released by the fingers in two steps, for example into the rotary carriage of a spiral binder applying machine. The fingers are lowered just before each advancing stroke of the carriage and lifted just before each retraction.

Unite States Patent 1191 1111 3,842,965 P161116 145'] 061- 22, 1974 1 SHEET PlLE FEEDING DEVICE 3,581,866 6/1971 HOtlCndOl'f .1 198/103 5] Inventor: nst ame, eu en, e many 3,669,248 6/1972 Hargash 198/221 [73] Assignee: Hans Sickinger Company, Pontiac, Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Mich. Assistant Examiner-Richard K. Thomson [22] Filed: Man 8, 1973 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Harness, Dickey & Pierce [2]] Appl. No.: 339,124 [57] ABSTRACT Sheet piles are placed in succession on conveyor belt [52] ELS. Cl 198/103, 198/34, 198/221 means and advance to vertically reciprocating fingers [51] I11. Cl. B65g 37/00 which release the piles one at a time. A h ll [58] Flew of Search 198/ reciprocating pusher assembly carriage has two sets of 198/103 rockably mounted pushers in tandem which advance sheet piles released by the fingers :in two steps, for ex- [56] References C'ted ample into the rotary carriage of a spiral binder apply- UNITED STATES PATENTS ing machine. The fingers are lowered just before each 2,615,558 10/1952 Reed 198/221 advancing stroke of the carriage and lifted just before 2,878,919 3/1959 Jones 198/34 each retraction. 3,231,062 l/1966 Phillips et al. 198/34 3,373,666 3/1968 Crampton 271/46 8 Clalms, 7 Drawlng Flgul'es BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to feeding devices for sheet piles such as perforated groups of sheets to be fed through a spiral binder applying machine. It is necessary that these sheet piles be fed in timed sequence to the machine which may, for example, have a rotary carriage with radially positioned pile supporting plates which receive successive piles as they reach a first horizontal station and advance the piles to aligning, binding, cutting and blending operations.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is known to have conveying devices of various kinds which advance successive sheet piles with a predetermined spacing and feed them into an indexable work handling device such as a rotary carriage. However, such prior devices require that the operator place the sheet piles with proper spacing between them so that the spaced pusher device will engage them. Such prior devices have been or relatively complicated and expensive construction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved sheet pile feeding device which enables an operator to place sheet piles onto the device without concern about the spacing between successive piles. That is, the operator can place the piles in abutting relation or in spaced relation on the device the amount of spacing, within wide limits, being at random. The feeding device will automatically create the proper spacing between the sheet piles as they advance and will then feed them into operational position in sequence so as to be co-ordinated with an indexable work carrying device.

It is a further object to provide a feeding device of this nature which is of relatively simple and inexpensive construction and is rugged and reliable in use.

It is also an object to provide a sheet pile feeding device having these characteristics, which is easily adjustable for various sizes of sheet piles.

Briefly, the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a frame having transversely spaced endless belts resting on bed plates at a height which permits an operator to space the sheet piles on the belts with any desired spacing, or next to each other. The belts advance the piles toward a set of fingers carried by a rockable shaft and vertically movable in synchronism with a pusher frame. The fingers release a single sheet pile each time the pusher frame retracts.

The frame has two sets of pushers in tandem which are lowered each time the frame reaches the end of its retracting stroke and raised at the end of the advancing stroke. The pushers thus advance the piles in succession to the desired location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross -sectional view in elevation showing the manner in which the fingers separate the piles;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan perspective view of the frame looking from the entrance end of the device;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational perspective view of the driving means for the device;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective plan view of the conveyor belts, frame and runners leading to the carriage, looking from the delivery end of the device;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of one of the rear pushers; and

FIG. 7 is a similar view showing the configuration of the front pushers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The feeding device is generally indicated at 11 and is shown in conjunction with a rotary carriage shown schematically and generally indicated at 12. This carriage may, for example, be of the type shown and described in my copending application Ser. No. 339,125 filed Mar. 8, 1973. The carriage has eight radially arranged supporting plates and controlled jaws 13 equidistantly spaced and indexable along a number of operating stations at which perforated sheet piles 14 are aligned, provide with spiral wire binders, and the binders trim-cut and bent. Such a device receives each pile 14 when a plate 13 is in a first horizontal position and discharges the bound booklet in a second horizontal position after being indexed counterclockwise through its stations. It is thus required that a pile 14 be fed each supporting plate as it reaches a receiving station.

Feeding device 11 comprises a frame 15 of rectangular shape supported by legs 16 at a height such that an operator standing at the right hand. end of the frame as seen in FIG. 1 may place piles 14 into position for transfer. A plurality of transversely spaced belts 17 are provided on frame 15, these belts being mounted on pulleys 18 and 19 with the latter being driven by a chain or timing belt 21 in synchronism with the other components described below. The upper runs of belts 17 are supported by one or more bed plates 22. Belts l7 stop well short of carriage 12 and the piles are conveyed from the last portions of the belts to the carriage by a pusher assembly generally indicated at 23, the piles being pushed along runners 24 supported by a bed plate 25.

Means are provided at an intermediate portion of belts 17 for separating piles 14 a predetermined distance as they approach the location. where they are picked up by pusher assembly 23. This means separates the piles with the proper spacing regardless of how they are originally placed on belts 17. The means comprises a plurality of transversely spaced fingers 26 which move in unison between positions above and below the level of belts 17. The fingers are mounted on a transverse shaft 27 and are movable between an upper position as shown in FIG. 19 in which they will stop advancing movement of the piles 14 and a retracted position below the level of the belts, thus permitting the piles to advance. Shaft 27 is operated in timed synchronism with pusher assembly 23 by means of an electric motor 28 driving a timing belt 29 which operates a pinion 31. The pinion drives a gear 32 on the same shaft as a pinion 33, the latter pinion rotating a gear 34 having a chain sprocket 35. The sprocket drives a chain 36 which in turn drives a cam shaft 37 (FIGS. 1 and 4). Besides moving chain 21, this cam. shaft has a cam 38 operating a bell crank 39, the bell crank operating a link 41 secured to an arm 42 on shaft 27.

The arrangement is such that fingers 26, which extend upwardly through apertures 43 in plate 22 (FIG. 2) will be retracted below the level of belts 17 for a predetermined length of time in synchronism with the timed movement of pusher assembly 23. When fingers 26 are lifted by cam 38 and its attendant linkage, they will be in obstructing relation with the leading edge 44 of the next sheet pile 14 and will stop this sheet pile at a predetermined location. The previous sheet pile will still have its trailing portion above the fingers 26, and the latter will push this trailing portion out of the way as seen in FIG. 2. The frictional contact between this pile 14 and belts 17 will drag the remaining portion of the pile past fingers 26 where it will drop onto belt 17 and continue moving until picked up by pusher assembly 223.

The latter is reciprocated by a crank 45 on shaft 37 operating a link 46 which is attached to an arm 47 on a shaft 48. This shaft is carried for rocking movement on a transverse axis by brackets 49 below frame 15. A longer crank 51 on shaft 48 is connected by a link 52 to carriage 23.

It will thus be seen that fingers 26 and pusher assembly 23 will operate in direct synchronism with each other, with the pusher assembly completing its rightward or retracting movement just as fingers 26 descend to release another pile 14. The original spacing of the piles will, within wide limits, be irrelevant to their final spacing for pickup by pusher assembly 23, as controlled by fingers 26.

Pusher assembly 23 comprises a U-shaped frame 53 with a main portion parallel to and to one side of belts 17, and a pair of arms 54 and 55 extending therefrom. The U-shaped frame is supported by a pair of posts 56 and 57 (FIG. 3) having lateral extensions 58 at their lower ends, the outer ends of these extensions being disposed within a pair of tracks 59 and 61 which extend parallel to belts 17 below the level of plate 22. Link 52 is connected to a rearward extension 62 at the lower end of post 57 so that frame 53 will reciprocate back and forth above the level of the belts.

A pair of shafts 63 and 64 extend through arms 54 and 55 respectively and carry a pair of forward pushers 66 and rear pushers 67. Pushers 66 are carried by arms 68 and pushers pushers 67 by arms 69, the arms extending forwardly. The positions of anns 68 and 69 on shafts 63 and 64 respectively may be adjusted to accommodate the size of sheet piles 14 being handled. In this connection, it will be noted that the drawings show sheet piles 14 which only rest on two of the four belts 17.

Shafts 633 and 64 are rocked by the vertical movement of a rail 71 which supports a pair of spring-urged follower arms 72 and 73 carried by shafts 63 and 64 respectively. Rail 71 is reciprocated by a cam 74 on shaft 37 which operates an arm 75 connected to the lower end of a downwardly extending arm 76 carried by rail 71 and guided by means (not shown) for vertical movement. As pusher assembly 23 reaches the forward end of its stroke rail 71 will be raised, rocking shafts 63 and 64 so as to lift pushers 66 and 67 above the level of the sheet piles. The pusher assembly may then be retracted and when it reaches the end of its retracting stroke rail 71 will be lowered so that the pushers may engage the next piles.

The shapes of the lower ends of pushers 66 and 67 are such as to facilitate their function. Rear pushers 67 have wedge-shaped bottoms 77 (FIG. 6) to insure that all sheets of each pile 14 will be transported. The lower ends 78 of forward pushers 66 are convexly shaped so as to give the holes 79 in piles 114 the proper curvature to accept the spiral wire binder in a later stage of the operation.

Means are provided for supporting bell crank 39 and arm in a form of a shaft 81 (FIG. 4) parallel to and spaced from shaft 37. This shaft may also serve to support other components of the machine such as a cam operated link 82 for operating a side jogger 83 (FIG. 5). In operation, assuming an initial condition in which pusher assembly 23 has just reached the end of its retracting stroke, with pushers 66 and 67 lifted, pile separating fingers 26 will rise as a sheet pile 14 approaches on belts 17. The rear portion of the preceding sheet pile 14 will not interfere with ascent of the fingers, as shown in FIG. 2. Pushers 66 and 67 will be lowered with pushers 67 being immediately behind the sheet pile which has just passed fingers 26 and continues to advance on belts 17. As pusher assembly 23 starts to advance with pushers 66 and 67 in their lowered positions, it will initially move more slowly than the sheet pile 14 on belts 17. However, because of the geometry of the actuating mechanism for pusher assembly 23 and particularly the position of crank 45, the fingers will speed up and push sheet pile 14 off belts l7 and onto runners 24. In the meantime, the forward pushers 66 will have picked up the sheet pile l4 placed on the runners during the previous stroke and advance them into carriage l2.

Pile separating fingers 26 will remain in their upper or pile stopping position until pusher assembly 23 reaches the forward end of its stroke. The fingers will retract downwardly as assembly 23 begins to retract with its pushers 66 and 67 now lifted. This will allow belts 17 to advance the next sheet pile 14. Fingers 26 will come up again just before pusher assembly 23 reaches the end of its retracting stroke, lifting the rear of the sheet pile it has just released and stopping the next sheet pile. Pushers 67 will come down behind the released sheet pile and the cycle will be repeated.

I claim:

1. A sheet pile feeding device comprising a plurality of transversely spaced endless belts, means continuously driving said belts in one direction, the receiving ends of the belts being accessible to placement of sheet piles thereon with random spacing, at least one sheet pile separating finger disposed between two of said belts, means for reciprocating said finger between a lower position below the level of said belts so as to permit a sheet pile to be carried by the belts past the fingers, and an upper position in obstructing relation with the next sheet pile, said last-mentioned means causing ascent of the finger under the rear portion of the first sheet pile so that it will stopthe next sheet pile even though it abuts the preceding pile, a pusher assembly reciprocably mounted above said belts between forward and retracted positions, said pusher assembly comprising a carriage and at least one pusher movably mounted on the carriage, means for successively raising said pusher, retracting said carriage, lowering said pusher behind a sheet pile released by the fingers, and advancing said carriage, said last-mentioned means being synchronized with the means for raising and lowering said finger, and a work holding carriage for receiving sheet piles delivered by said pusher assembly, and means for indexing said work holding carriage in synchronism with the reciprocating pusher assembly movement.

2. The combination according to claim 1, said means for reciprocating the pusher assembly being of a crank type which accelerates during the mid-portion of its movement whereby the sheet pile being advanced by said belts will be pushed off the belts by the pusher assembly.

3. The combination according to claim 1, said pusher assembly carriage being U-shaped and guided by rail means, there being at least two pushers carried by a shaft rockably supported by one arm of the carriage, another set of pushers carried by a second shaft rockably mounted in the other arm of the carriage, and means for rocking said shafts in synchronism with the carriage movement.

4. The combination according to claim 3, said lastmentioned means comprising a vertically movable rail, arms carried by said shaft and resting on said rail, and means for reciprocating said rail.

5. The combination according to claim 4, said pushers being carried by arms mounted on said shafts, said arms being adjustable along the shafts in accordance with the size of the sheet piles being handled.

6. The combination according to claim 3, there being at least two sheet pile separating fingers, said fingers being mounted on a rockable shaft, and cam means for rocking said last-mentioned shaft.

7. The combination according to claim 3, said first set of pushers having wedge-shaped bottoms for engaging the sheet piles, said second set of pushers having convexly-shaped bottoms, said sheet piles being perforated for the reception of a wire binder, whereby the perforations will be adjusted by the second set of pushers into position to accept the spiral binder.

8. In combination with an indexable work holding carriage for moving sheet piles to a succession of work stations, a "sheet pile feeding device driven in synchronism with said carriage, said device comprising a frame 6 having a bed plate, a plurality of transversely spaced endless belts having their upper runs resting on said bed plate, the entrance ends of said belts being accessible to placement of sheet piles on the belts with random spacing between the piles, a set of sheet pile separating fingers reciprocably mounted between certain of said belts at intermediate portions thereof, means for moving said fingers between a lower retracted position below the level of said belts so as to permit a sheet pile to advance thereover and an upper stopping position in obstructing relation with the leading edge of the next pile, said means being such that the fingers will move to their upper position while the rear portion of a released pile is still above the fingers, whereby the next pile will be stopped even if it is in abutting relation with its preceding pile, a pusher assembly comprising a U- shaped frame carried above the belts and supported for reciprocating movement in the direction of their travel, a pair of shafts rockably supported by the arms of said frame and having arms with forward and rear sets of pushers thereon, a horizontal rail mounted for vertical reciprocation, follower arms carried by said shafts and resting on said rail, means actuatable in synchronism with said finger moving means for advancing said caring the sheet piles removed from thebelts. 

1. A sheet pile feeding device comprising a plurality of transversely spaced endless belts, means continuously driving said belts in one direction, the receiving ends of the belts being accessible to placement of sheet piles thereon with random spacing, at least one sheet pile separating finger disposed between two of said belts, means for reciprocating said finger between a lower position below the level of said belts so as to permit a sheet pile to be carried by the belts past the fingers, and an upper position in obstructing relation with the next sheet pile, said last-mentioned means causing ascent of the finger under the rear portion of the first sheet pile so that it will stop the next sheet pile even though it abuts the preceding pile, a pusher assembly reciprocably mounted above said belts between forward and retracted positions, said pusher assembly comprising a carriage and at least one pusher movably mounted on the carriage, means for successively raising said pusher, retracting said carriage, lowering said pusher behind a sheet pile released by the fingers, and advancing said carriage, said last-mentioned means being synchronized with the means for raising and lowering said finger, and a work holding carriage for receiving sheet piles delivered by said pusher assembly, and means for indexing said work holding carriage in synchronism with the reciprocating pusher assembly movement.
 2. The combination according to claim 1, said means for reciprocating the pusher assembly being of a crank type which accelerates during the mid-portion of its movement whereby the sheet pile being advanced by said belts will be pushed off the belts by the pusher assembly.
 3. The combination according to claim 1, said pusher assembly carriage being U-shaped and guided by rail means, there being at least two pushers carried by a shaft rockably supported by one arm of the carriage, another set of pushers carried by a second shaft rockably mounted in the other arm of the carriage, and means for rocking said shafts in synchronism with the carriage movement.
 4. The combination according to claim 3, said last-mentioned means comprising a vertically movable rail, arms carried by said shaft and resting on said rail, and means for reciprocating said rail.
 5. The combination according to claim 4, said pushers being carried by arms mounted on said shafts, said arms being adjustable along the shafts in accordance with the size of the sheet piles being handled.
 6. The combination according to claim 3, there being at least two sheet pile separating fingers, said fingers being mounted on a rockable shaft, and cam means for rocking said last-mentioned shaft.
 7. The combination according to claim 3, said first set of pushers having wedge-shaped bottoms for engaging the sheet piles, said second set of pushers haviNg convexly-shaped bottoms, said sheet piles being perforated for the reception of a wire binder, whereby the perforations will be adjusted by the second set of pushers into position to accept the spiral binder.
 8. In combination with an indexable work holding carriage for moving sheet piles to a succession of work stations, a sheet pile feeding device driven in synchronism with said carriage, said device comprising a frame having a bed plate, a plurality of transversely spaced endless belts having their upper runs resting on said bed plate, the entrance ends of said belts being accessible to placement of sheet piles on the belts with random spacing between the piles, a set of sheet pile separating fingers reciprocably mounted between certain of said belts at intermediate portions thereof, means for moving said fingers between a lower retracted position below the level of said belts so as to permit a sheet pile to advance thereover and an upper stopping position in obstructing relation with the leading edge of the next pile, said means being such that the fingers will move to their upper position while the rear portion of a released pile is still above the fingers, whereby the next pile will be stopped even if it is in abutting relation with its preceding pile, a pusher assembly comprising a U-shaped frame carried above the belts and supported for reciprocating movement in the direction of their travel, a pair of shafts rockably supported by the arms of said frame and having arms with forward and rear sets of pushers thereon, a horizontal rail mounted for vertical reciprocation, follower arms carried by said shafts and resting on said rail, means actuatable in synchronism with said finger moving means for advancing said carriage, lifting said rail so as to retract said pushers above the belt level, retracting said carriage and lowering said rail to drop the pushers into pushing positions with respect to the sheet piles, the synchronism being such that the rear pushers will drop into pushing position behind a sheet pile which has just been released by said fingers, the means for reciprocating said carriage being so constructed that after the initial portion of its advancing stroke the carriage will move faster than the belts, and runners in advance of said belts for supporting the sheet piles removed from the belts. 